• Japan's Princess Ayako married a commoner in a ritual-filled ceremony Monday at Tokyo's Meiji Shrine. Ayako and groom Kei Moriya were shown on national news walking slowly before guests at the shrine. The wedding took place in one of the pagoda-like buildings in the shrine complex and included an exchange of rings and a sharing of a cup of sake, according to Japanese media. Both rituals are relatively routine for Shinto-style weddings, including those of regular Japanese couples. Ayako, 28, is the daughter of the emperor's cousin, and Moriya, 32, works for major shipping company Nippon Yusen. Ayako's father, Prince Takamado, who was an active supporter of Japanese soccer, died in 2002. She wore a Heian-era style hairdo, swept back into a ponytail, and a traditional robe splashed with red and green patterns, while Moriya wore coattails. She later changed into a red Japanese robe. "I am filled with happiness," she told reporters after the ceremony. Women who marry into the imperial family become members of the family, but those who marry commoners must leave. Moriya said he hoped to help Ayako adjust to a commoner's life. "I want us to work together, hand in hand, to create a family filled with smiles," he said.
• Firefighters, police officers and 911 operators in Houston, Texas, got a surprise lunch from a famous local when Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey showed up with roasted turkey to give thanks on National First Responders Day. The actor's appearance and catered lunch Sunday shocked those at one fire department. Later, he did the same for police officers and 911 operators at other facilities. McConaughey, an Austin native, said he wanted to do something in his home state, particularly for Houston. The city dealt with the devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey last year. The meals were part of a promotion for Wild Turkey, for which he serves as a creative director and spokesman. "This year, I said, 'Let me get you down here to my home state,' and what's a good place to go," McConaughey said. It wasn't the 48-year-old actor's only civic duty of the weekend. He said that he voted Saturday, braving an hour-and-a-half wait in line at an early polling place. He said even though the U.S. may appear politically polarized and divided, he thinks it's a phase and "we'll come out on the other side. We'll find our proverbial water line." "It's the push and the pull," McConaughey said. "There is a divide there to push. I'm preferably aggressively a little more centric. But we'll see where we come out and getting out to vote is the first step in doing something about it."
A Section on 10/30/2018